With just over 24 hours passed since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by Manchester United, the club has already ramped up their bid to find a replacement for the Norwegian, with Mauricio Pochettino emerging as a strong candidate.
The Argentinian is less than a year deep into his reign at Paris Saint-Germain but has reportedly been unsettled by the culture at the club he spent two years at as a player.
Amid the vacant managerial role at the Old Trafford club, Manchester United are on the hunt for a permanent manager and links to Pochettino have been prominent.
Earlier on Monday, there were suggestions that Manchester United had begun internal discussions over buying Pochettino out of his contract at PSG. Now, there are additional signs that Pochettino could become the next boss at the Theatre of Dreams.
According to The Mirror, Pochettino is ready to turn his back on PSG just four months into the season and immediately take charge of Manchester United.
The former Tottenham manager is Sir Alex Ferguson’s first choice to replace Solskjaer and Manchester United are believed to already have spoken to Pochettino’s camp.
The plan was originally to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season but Pochettino’s willingness to take over mid-season has encouraged the club.
Furthermore, as Pochettino remains under contract at the French capital club, Manchester United would need to shelve out £10m as compensation if they were to swoop in.
Read more: Steve Bruce keen on replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man Utd
SN’s verdict on Pochettino potentially joining United mid-season…
Manchester United’s official statement on Solskjaer sacking showed that a plan to immediately replace him was not in place. Instead, an interim manager until the end of the season was proposed.
Perhaps they didn’t believe that the right manager was available halfway through the season but Pochettino has admirers at the club and would be the perfect appointment. A permanent arrival as soon as possible is crucial to United’s long-term planning and Pochettino certainly ticks all the boxes.
From a player’s perspective, it would make far more sense to get Pochettino in as soon as possible. Should an interim manager be introduced, a new appointment in the summer would become the fourth manager in less than a year.
United have several players in desperate need of clarity. Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba have less than one year left on their contracts, whilst Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes are among those yet to commit to fresh terms. Clarity over who the manager will be would help on more than one front.